15 killed, 27 injured in bomb blast in Peshawar

15 killed in bomb blast in Peshawar Picture: Policemen and rescue officials walk near a bus damaged in a bomb blast in Peshawar, Pakistan March 16, 2016.Reuters

Update: 1.56 p.m. IST: Lashker-e-Taiba is believed to have claimed responsibility for the attack in Peshawar Wednesday.

At least 15 people were killed and 27 were injured. Among the injured, 15 are reportedly Air Force personnel, sources told the Express Tribune.

"The blast was caused by a timed-improvised explosive device (IED) planted in a tool box inside the bus," Superintendent of Police (SP) Cantonment Kashif Zulfiqar said.

"There were 40-50 people in the bus."

Update: 10.57 p.m. IST: At least 15 people were killed and more than 27 injured Wednesday in a bomb blast inside a bus carrying government officials to Peshawar, the police said.

The injured have been taken to the Lady Reading Hospital, where emergency has been declared.

"Emergency has been declared and all doctors have been called in to handle trauma," the News International quoted Lady Reading Hospital, hospital spokesman Jamil Shah, as saying. The death toll is expected to rise.

Update: 10.57 p.m. IST: At least 16 people were killed and more than 24 injured Wednesday in a bomb blast inside a bus carrying government officials to Peshawar, officials said. The death toll is expected to rise.

The blast took place in Saddar Bazaar, near the Cantonment area in Peshawar.

"At least 16 people were killed and more than 24 were wounded in a blast on a government employees' bus," Superintendent of Police Cantonment Mohammad Kashif Zulfiqar told AFP.

The explosive device weighed 4 kgs, had a remote-controlled detonator and was fitted near the gas cylinder, which increased the impact of the blast.

Original Story: At least 15 people were killed and 30 injured in a bomb blast in Peshawar Wednesday, police sources said. The blast took place inside a bus carrying government officials, eyewitnesses said.

The vehicle picked up passengers from various stops and exploded as it entered the Sunehri Masjid Road.

"The top part of the bus has blown off and is being cut to pull out the injured," an eye witness told the Express Tribune.

The passengers mostly comprised government officials working at the Civil Secretariat, the daily reported. They were scheduled to visit the National Database and Registration Authority and passport offices in Peshawar.

An improvised explosive device (IED), which was planted inside the bus, is believed to have had caused the blast, Superintendent Police Cantonment Kashif Zulfiqar was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.